Full fashioned kmt stocking



June 11, 1935. R. PIKE 2,004,216

FULL FASHIONED KNIT STOCKING Filed Jan. 19, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet i INVENTOR 4 ,Qqgznald Bake ATTORN n m 5 mm/// INVENTOR: Reg l Bike, BY A ATTOR Patented June 11, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in full fashioned knit stockings and particularly to the construction of the toe portions thereof.

In the manufacture of stockings of this character in which the main part of the leg portion and the upper part of the foot portion are constructed of very fine material on machines of exceptionally fine needle gauge, such for example as forty-five gauge having thirty needles to the inch, a fine gauge in common use, it has been impossible to adequately reinforce or strengthen the toe portions thereof for the production of the desired strength and wearing qualities, due to certain limitations in the toe portion constructions in use prior to my invention.

In the manufacture of these stockings of very fine material it is necessary that the blanks of knit fabric from which the stockings are formed be produced on machines of correspondingly fine needle gauge and that the same set of needles which produces the main body of the foot portion of each stocking shall produce the toe portion thereof.

The tapered toe portions of full fashioned 5 stockings, prior-to my invention, have each had included in the construction thereof a central upper part forming the top of the toe portion, two corresponding lateral parts forming the sides of the toe portion, and two corresponding bottom parts forming the bottom of the toe portion. In producing these parts on a full fashion machine known in the art as a footer, it has been necessary to employ two sets of narrowing points carried by two differently operated narrowing fi'ngers, at each side of the set of needles producing the foot, to transfer the fabric loops or stitches from certain needles to certain other needles, the inner narrowing fingers, at the respective sides, transferring the loops of the said lateral parts with respect to the needles producing the said central upper part, and the other narrowing fingersat the respective sides, transferring the loops or stitches of the said bottom parts with respect to the needles producing the said lateral 45' parts. i

Now, while the needles of a fine gauge machine will operate upon the silk or other thread of sumcient size or weight to produce the desired reinforcement of the said central upper part of the old toe portion of the stocking, because the loops or stitches thereof are not transferred from the needles which form them, the transfer points will not operate to transfer the .loops or stitches of silk or other thread of the same size or weight to produce the desired reinforcement in either the said lateral parts or the said bottom parts of theold toe portion. Therefore, the desired reinforcement in the toe portions of fine gauge stockings has heretofore been limited to the top thereof, and it has been possible to reinforce the sides 5 and bottom portions thereof only to the extent that the fineness of the gauge will permit the increase of size or weight of the stitches of the silk or other threadv which may be transferred by the points of the narrowing fingers, and this rein- 10 forcement has been found to be inadequate in the parts of the stocking where the greatest wear occurs.

' The object of my invention is to so improve the construction of the tapered toe portion of a full fashioned stocking that a fine gauge stocking may have a toe portion provided with an adequately reinforced part of uniform fabric, formed wholly of untransferred stitches and extending over the entire top of the toe portion and around the sides thereof and into the major portions of the sides of the bottom thereof.

The invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention,

Figure 1 is a side view of a full fashioned stocking having the leg portion thereof folded upon itself and illustrating my invention and showing the condition thereof and the relative relation of the various parts thereof after the same has been dyed and pressed or shaped and flattened upon a form or board in accordance with the practice in this art.

Figure 2 is a top view of the lower part of the foot portion of the stocking, the same being fiattened by placing the top thereof in contact with the bottom thereof and showing the condition and relation of the parts thereof when the stock- 4 ing comes from the machines which produce the same and before the gum or sizing has been washed from the threads of the knit fabric, preceding the dyeing and shaping of the finished article. 5

Figure 3 is a bottom view .of the parts shown in Fig; 2, in the same condition as shown therein.

Figure 4 is a view of the lower part of the foot portion of the blank of knit fabric from which the stocking is formed.

' Referring to the drawings, 2 designates the leg portion and 3 the foot portion of a full fashioned stocking. The foot portion terminates in a tapered toe portion 4 which extends from the line 5 to the toe end-of the stocking.

The knit fabric of the entire stocking is of very fine gauge and consists of transversely extending successive courses of loops or stitches producing longitudinally extending wales in the fabric.

The tapered toe portion of the stocking is that portion thereof which is below the line 5, and it consists of two corresponding bottom parts I, 1 formed of knit fabric having courses of transferred stitches and a connecting part 8, formed of knit fabric comprising successive courses of untransferred stitches. The contiguous edge portions of the bottom parts 1, 1 are connected by the central sewed seam 9 which extends longitudinally through the bottom of the foot portion 3 and the back of the leg portion 2, such seam being common to all full fashioned stockings. The outer edge portions of the bottom parts I, l are connected by loops or stitches of the knit fabric to the contiguous edges of the connecting part 8, on the lines l0, ID, on. therespective sides of the central seam 9; and the parts 1, l and 8 extend between the lines and H, the line H being at the toe end of the stocking and the lines 5 and H extending the full width of the knit fabric blank from which the stocking is formed, as shown in Fig. 4.

The sole l2 of the foot 3, above the line 5, and the heel portion l3 of the stocking are reinforced or made of heavier material than the main body of the leg portion 2 and the top of the foot portion 3 above the line 5 which are made of extremely thin or fine material, in the usual manner, well known in the art.

The knit fabric which forms the connecting part 8 of the toe portion 4 of the stocking is made of material which is much heavier than the fine material forming the top of the adjacent foot portion 3 and which is also heavier than the material which forms the central bottom parts 1, 1 of the toe portion 4; and the fabric which forms the bottom parts I, l is made of material which is heavier than the fine material of the top of the adjacent foot portion i The reinforced bottom parts I, I extend longitudinally through the central portion of the bottom'of the toe portion A and the heavier reinforced connecting part 8 forms the entire top, the sides, and the sides of the bottom of the toe portion.

Thus it will be understood that my improved construction provides a toe portion in which the heavily reinforced fabric of the connecting part 8 thereof will extend entirely over the toes of the wearer and around the sides thereof and underneath the same for a substantial distance from the toe end of the stocking and thus cover and enclose the toes at all places where the greatest wear occurs when the stocking is in service.

In the knit fabric forming the stocking the courses of loops or stitches extend transversely around the fabric of the completed stocking or from side to sidev of the stocking blank, shown in Fig. 4, and the loops or stitches form wales which extend longitudinally of the fabric.

Each of the bottom parts I, l of the toe portion 4 is formed of uniform fabric throughout having parallel wales which form continuations of the wales of the adjacent part of the foot portion 3 above the line 5; and the connecting part 8 is formed of uniform fabric throughout having parallel wales which form continuations of the wales of the adjacent part of the foot portion 3, and which extend at an angle to the adjacent wales of the fabric of the respective bottom parts i, I, such angular relation being occasioned by the periodical transferring of the fabric loops or stitches of the parts I, 1 from certain needles to certain other needles during the narrowing operation in fashioning the toe portion of the stocking blank. The wales of the several parts are indicated by the lines thereon in Figs. 2, 8 and 4 of the drawings.

I shall now describe the manner of producing my improved stocking and thereby describe in greater detail the novel structural characteristics thereof.

The leg portion 2 is produced in the usual manner on a full fashion knitting machine, known in the art as a legger, having a fine needle gauge, for example, a forty-five gauge having thirty needles to the inch.

The foot portion of the stocking, down to th line 5, is also produced in the usual manner on a full fashion knitting machine, known in the art as a footer, having the same fine needle gauge as the machine which produced the leg portion 2, the stocking fabric being transferred from the needles of the legger to the needles of the footer in the usual well known manner.

In knitting the stocking blank from a short distance above the line 5, as shown in Fig. 4, three thread carriers are employed, one to feed the fine thread between the two side edges l4, l4, one to feed a reinforcing thread between one of the side edges l4 and the adjacent inner line It of the reinforced sole portion l8 at one side of the blank, and one to feed a reinforcing thread between the other side edge l4 and the adjacent inner line 16 of the reinforced sole portion 18 at the other side of the blank.

The stocking blank as produced down to the line 5 is the same as a full fashioned stocking was produced prior to my invention.

As the knitting proceeds from the line 5 down to the line H or to the toe end of the stocking blank, the tapered end portion of the blank is produced for forming the tapered toe portion 4 of the finished stocking; and, upon reaching the line 5, the three thread carriers which supplied the threads for the stocking blank thus far are thrown out of action and two new thread carriers are brought into action and supply threads to the needles for knitting the blank from the line 5 to the line H. thread carriers traverses the full width of the stocking blank and supplies thread to the needles for knitting the parts 1, l and the part 8 of the foot portion, and the other of the new thread carriers is operated to supply its thread to the needles for the knitting of the fabric onlybetween the lines I0, I 0, so that the loops or stitches of the fabric of the part 8 will be composed of both threads of the two new carriers and the loops or stitches of the respective parts I, 1 will be composed of the thread of but one of the two new carriers. Thus it will be seen that the part 8 will be formed of material heavier than the material forming the parts 1, 'l. The material forming the parts I, I and the material forming the part 8 are each heavier than the material forming the top of the foot portion of the stocking, and the material forming the parts I, l as desired, may or may not be heavier than the material forming the reinforced parts [8 above the line 5.

In producing the tapered toe portion of the stocking blank below the line 5, the stitches or loops of certain spaced courses thereof which form the parts I, l are progressively removed One of the new from the needles which produce them, by the aid of the points of two suitably operated transfer fingers at the respective sides of the fabric and they are thereby moved inwardly and thus transferred to "certain other needles for effecting the tapered or narrowing of the toe portion. During the narrowing of the toe portion, the two thread carriers which supply the threads to the needles are operated in conformity with the gradually narrowing toe portion, and the knit fabric of the parts I, I are joined or connected to the respective sides of the part 8 along the lines l0, III by the connected loops of the parts 'I, 'I and 8.

After the line H has been reached in knitting the stocking blank, a few courses of stitches formed of a single thread are added to the fabric to extend it to the dot-and-dash line 20' to enable the stocking blank to be applied to the points of the well known looping machine at or near the line H, for sewing the lower ends of the parts I, I to the respective sides of the lower end of the part 8, for closing the toe end of the stocking; and, after the toe end has been closed, the stocking is completed by sewing the respective side edges of the blank together throughout the length of the stocking and thus producing the seam 9 which unites the contiguous edge portions 1, I of the bottom of the toe portion thereof.

The size or weight of the thread used in producing the parts I, I is limited only by the fineness of the gauge of the needles producing the same; that is to say, the thread may be as heavy as the transfer points will successfully operate upon to transfer the loops or stitches thereof from the needles which produce them to other needles for the narrowing operation. The size or weight of the combined threads producing the part 8 is not so limited because the loops or stitches thereof are not transferred from the needles which produce them, and the needles of a fine gauge machine will produce loops or stitches of heavier threads in areas or parts where the loops or stitches are not removed from the needles which produce them, for transfer purposes, than in areas or parts where the loops or stitches are removed from the needles which. form them, for transfer purposes.

In addition to improving the toeportion of a full fashioned stocking, my invention provides a construction which can be produced on a machinehaving one-half the number of point carrying narrowing fingers which are required in a machine for producing the old toe portion construction.

In manufacturing all forms of full fashioned stockings it is the practice to apply gum or sizing to the threads which form the knit fabric. Therefore, after a stocking has been constructed in accordance with my invention the sizing in the knit fabric retains the parts I, I and 8 and adjacent parts of the foot portion and the wales therein substantially in the relationship in which they were produced and as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. After the stocking has been completely formed it is washed for the removal of the gum or sizing therefrom. The stocking is then dyed, and, thereafter, while it is in a damp condition, it is placed upon a suitable form or board and dried thereon and thereby shaped and pressed into the fiat condition shown in Fig. 1, in which the parts I, I and 8 and adjoining parts are fiattened in certain portions and rounded in other portions and distorted somewhat in shaping the stocking into marketable condition.

When herein I speak of transferred stitches in a stocking, I mean stitches of the knit fabric thereof which, during the production of the fabric on a knitting machine, were transferred by the points of narrowing fingers from the needles which produced the stitches to certain other needles of the machine for effecting the narrowing or fashioning of the fabric.

I claim: 4

1. A full fashioned knitted stocking having a tapered toe portion, .said toe portion being fashioned of two corresponding bottom parts seamed to each other, each of said bottom parts having all its wales parallel, and an intermediate tapered part knitted directly to said bottom parts, said intermediate tapered part having all its wales parallel and being formed of substantially heavier and more compact material than that of said bottom parts, and the intermedite heavy part extending over the top, around the sides, and into the bottom of the toe portion.

2. A full fashioned knitted stocking having a tapered toe portion, the seam of which extends longitudinally along the center line of the bottom thereof, said toe portion being fashioned of two corresponding bottom parts immediately adjacent the seam, each of said bottom parts having all its wales parallel, and an intermediate tapered part having all its wales parallel and being knitted directly to said bottom parts, said intermediate tapered part being formed of substantially heavier and more compact material than that of said bottom parts, and the intermediate heavy part extending over the top, around the sides, and into the bottom of the toe portion.

3. A full fashioned knitted stocking having a tapered toe portion, the seam of which extends longitudinally along the center line of the bottom thereof, said toe portion being fashioned of two corresponding bottom parts immediately adjacent the seam, each of said bottom parts having all its wales parallel, and an intermediate tapered part having all its wales parallel and being knitted directly to said bottom parts, said intermediate tapered part being formed of substantially heavier and more compact material than that of said bottom parts, the wales of said bottom parts and intermediate part being continuations of the wales of the respective adjacent parts of the foot portion, and the intermediate heavy part extending over the top, around the sides, and into the bottom of the toe portion.

4. In a full fashioned knitted stocking blank, a toe portion comprising two marginal parts and an-intenhediate tapered part of heavy compact material knitted directly to the marginal parts,

the wales of said marginal parts and of the intermediate part being continuations of the wales of the respective adjacent parts of the foot portion of the stocking, and the intermediate tapered part being of such extent that it will extend over the top, around the sides, and into the bottom of the toe portion of the finished stocking.

5. In a full fashioned knitted stocking blank, a toe portion comprising two marginal parts and an intermediate tapered part knitted directly to the marginal parts, the wales of said marginal parts and of the intermediate part being continuations of thewales of the respective adjacent parts of the foot portion of the stocking,

and the intermediate tapered part being reinforced throughout its area by a heavy inserted yarn, and being of such extent that it will extend over the top, around the sides, and into the bottom of the toe portion of the finished stocking.

6. The method of knitting the toe portionof a full fashioned stocking which consists in periodically transferring stitches at each side of the blank immediately adjacent the edge thereof for the purpose of narrowing the same, and knitting into the portion of the fabric between the transferred portions reinforcing yarn heavier than could be transferred, the transferred stitches being knitted to such extent as to lie entirely on the bottom of the foot, and the reinforced portion being knitted of such an area as to extend over the top, around the sides, and into the bottom of the toe portion of the finished stocking.

7. The method of knitting the toe portion of a full fashioned stocking which consists in periodically transferring stitches at each side of the blank immediately adjacent the edge thereof for the purpose of narrowing the same thereby providing a portion along each of the seam edges with the wales extending parallel thereto, and an intermediate tapered portion having all its wales parallel; and knitting into the tapered portion a reinforcing yarn heavier than could be transferred, said heavy reinforcing yarn being limited to the intermediate tapered portion, and said tapered portion being knitted of such area as to extend over the top, around the sides, and into the bottom of the toe portion of the finished stocking.

' REGINALD PIKE. 

